Carrier device, inspection apparatus having the same, and inspection system

ABSTRACT

A carrier device performs floating and carrying of a sheet-like member having curling tendency along a carrier path. The carrier device includes a floating air blowing unit that floats and carries the sheet-like member by blowing out air obliquely upward in a carrying direction to the sheet-like member residing on the carrier path via a plurality of blowout holes, a carrier plate that constitutes the carrier path and has the plurality of blowout holes formed therein, and a pressing air blowing unit that faces a carrying start position of the sheet-like member on the carrier plate and blows out air from an upper position relative to the sheet-like member so as to lay the sheet-like member along the carrier plate.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a carrier device capable of performingfloating and carrying of a sheet-like material having a curling tendencyin a non-contact manner, and an inspection apparatus and an inspectionsystem that have the carrier device.

2. Related Art

In recent years, as a carrier device capable of performing floating andcarrying of a paper sheet in a non-contact manner, a carrier device hasbeen known that includes a guide plate to be a carrier path of a papersheet, a plurality of fan-shaped ring like (crescent) air blowingnozzles arranged on the guide plate with a distance each other, and aplurality of opening sections each being formed at a center of acurvature radius of each fan-shaped ring like air blowing nozzle at anupstream side of the air blowing nozzle. JP-A-10-086330 is an example ofthe related art. In the carrier device, air is blown out from the airblowing nozzles obliquely upward in a carrying direction so that a papersheet is floated and carried on a guiding face. However, since anegative pressure is generated at a portion in the vicinity of the airblowing nozzle, the paper sheet is possibly brought into contact withthe guide plate. Therefore, air is additionally blown out upward fromthe opening sections so that the paper sheet can be smoothly floated andcarried in a flat attitude.

In such a carrier device, it is necessary to uniformly apply air that isblown out from the air blowing nozzles to a rear face of a paper sheeton the guide plate. In a case where, for example, a sheet-like memberhaving a curling tendency, such as a cut sheet made of roll paper, iscarried, it is impossible to uniformly apply the blowing air to the rearface of the sheet-like member. As a result, a problem may arise in thatfloating and carrying are not stably carried out.

SUMMARY

An advantage of the present invention is to provide a carrier devicecapable of performing stable floating and carrying of a sheet-likemember having a curling tendency, and an inspection apparatus and aninspection system that have the carrier device.

A carrier device according to a first aspect of the invention performsfloating and carrying of a sheet-like member having a curling tendencyalong a carrier path. The carrier device includes a floating air blowingunit that floats and carries the sheet-like member by blowing out airobliquely upward in a carrying direction to the sheet-like member on thecarrier path via a plurality of blowout holes, a carrier plate thatconstitutes the carrier path and has the plurality of blowout holesformed therein, and a pressing air blowing unit that faces a carryingstart position of the sheet-like member on the carrier plate and blowsout air to the sheet-like member from an upper position relative to thesheet-like member so as to lay the sheet-like member along the carrierplate.

In this case, it is preferable that the plurality of blowout holes beformed such that the blowout holes are obliquely drilled through thecarrier plate and each of the blowout holes is provided in the carrierplate at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the carryingdirection.

In addition, the plurality of blowout holes is preferably distributedover an entire area of the carrier plate in a matrix fashion.

With the above configuration, the sheet-like member having the curlingtendency is pressed so as to be laid along the carrier plate by blowingof air from the pressing air blowing unit. In addition, air (carryingair) that is blown out obliquely upward from the floating air blowingunit to a bottom face (a rear face) of the sheet-like member pressed onthe carrier plate, smoothly passes through a gap between the carrierplate and the sheet-like member so that a pressure in a space betweenthe carrier plate and the sheet-like member is reduced and thesheet-like member is attracted to a surface of the carrier plate. Sincethis attraction force and the upward force due to the blowing of thecarrying air are balanced, the sheet-like member is floated at aposition having a constant distance from the surface of the carrierplate and is carried in the blowout direction of the carrying air.

With the above configuration, the sheet-like member having the curlingtendency is stably floated and carried under a condition that thecurling tendency is removed. In addition, since each of the blowoutholes is formed at the angle of about 45 degrees in the carryingdirection with respect to the carrying face, the sheet-like membermaintains the constant floating position from the surface of the carrierplate so that the floating and carrying can be efficiently performed. Asthe plurality of blowout holes is arranged in a matrix fashion, thecarrying air can be uniformly applied to the entire rear face of thesheet-like member.

The carrier device according to the first aspect of the invention,preferably further includes a top end detection unit that detects a topend of the sheet-like member at the carrying start position and acontrol unit that controls the floating air blowing unit and thepressing air blowing unit. The control unit may respectively startdriving of the floating air blowing unit and driving of the pressing airblowing unit in accordance with detection of the top end of thesheet-like member by the top end detection unit.

With the above configuration, since the driving of both of the airblowing units can be started at a timing of starting of the carrier ofthe sheet-like member, it is possible to perform floating and carryingof the sheet-like member by removing the curling tendency of thesheet-like member from the top end side. As a result, a case may notoccur in which the floating and carrying of the sheet-like member isdisabled due to curling caused by the curling tendency.

An inspection apparatus according to a second aspect of the invention,includes a sheet processing device, the carrier device that performsfloating and carrying of the sheet-like member that has the curlingtendency and is fed from the sheet processing device, a stopping unitthat faces the carrier path so as to be projected from or retracted tothe carrier path and forcibly stops the sheet-like member in beingcarried, a member detection unit that detects presence or absence of thesheet-like member in a stopping state, an inspection unit thatimage-recognizes the sheet-like member from an upper position relativeto the sheet-like member and inspects a result processed by the sheetprocessing device in accordance with the recognition result, and acontrol unit that controls the stopping unit and the inspection unit.The control unit allows the inspection unit to perform the inspection inaccordance with detection of the presence of the sheet-like member afterstopping the carrying of the sheet-like member.

With the above configuration, the inspecting by means of the inspectionunit can be applied to the sheet-like member that is made to be in thestopping state by forcibly stopping the floating and carrying by meansof the stopping unit under a condition that the curling tendency isremoved. Herewith, the inspection of a processed result formed on thesheet-like member by the sheet processing device can be adequatelyperformed.

In this case, the inspection apparatus according to the second aspect ofthe invention, preferably further includes a vacuum suction unit that isbuilt in the carrier plate and sucks the sheet-like member in thestopping state on the carrier plate. The control unit preferably furthercontrols the vacuum suction unit so as to stop the floating air blowingunit and to drive the vacuum suction unit during a time period from thestopping of the carrying till the inspection.

With the above configuration, the sheet-like member in the stoppingstate can be sucked and fixed to the carrier plate so as to be stuck tothe carrier plate. By facing the inspection unit above the sucked andfixed sheet-like member, image recognition free from a distortion due tothe curling tendency can be performed. Consequently, it is possible toperform more precise inspection with respect to the sheet-like member.

In addition, the inspection apparatus according to the second aspect ofthe invention, preferably further includes an auxiliary pressing airblowing unit that blows out air to the sheet-like member in a stoppingstate from an upper position relative to the sheet-like member. Thecontrol unit may further control the auxiliary pressing air blowing unitso as to drive the auxiliary pressing air blowing unit just afterstopping the floating air blowing unit.

With the above configuration, air is auxiliarily blown to the sheet-likemember by the auxiliary pressing air blowing unit so that the sheet-likemember in the stopping state can be pressed to the surface of thecarrier plate. As a result, even in a case where the curling tendency ofthe sheet-like member is strong (for example, the sheet-like member hasa short length or a large thickness), the sheet-like member is notrestored to its original curling shape at a moment when driving of thefloating air blowing unit is stopped and a process is switched todriving of the vacuum suction unit, so that the suction fixing of thesheet-like member can be surely performed by the vacuum suction unit.

Further, in the inspection apparatus according to the second aspect ofthe invention, the sheet-like member may be formed of roll paper, andthe sheet processing device is preferably constituted of a printer thatincludes a paper supply section that feeds the roll paper, a printingsection that performs printing on the roll paper fed from the papersupply section by using an ink jet head, and a paper discharge sectionthat cuts a part of the roll paper printed by the printing section anddischarges the printed part.

With the above configuration, a piece of the roll paper having thecurling tendency discharged on the carrier plate is floated and carriedin a non-contact manner under a condition that the piece of the rollpaper is laid along the surface of the carrier plate so that imagerecognition for inspection can be performed under a condition thatadverse influence due to the curling tendency is eliminated.Consequently, the roll paper can be carried without applying damage on aprinted face and precise inspection about printing quality can beperformed.

An inspection system according to a third aspect of the invention,includes the inspection apparatus according to the second aspect of theinvention, the sheet processing device according to the second aspect ofthe invention and a common housing that stores the inspection apparatusand the sheet processing device.

With the above configuration, since the sheet processing device (theprinter) and the inspection apparatus (including the carrier device) areaccommodated in the single housing, it is possible to increase a freedomfor an installation place or movement of the inspection system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.

FIG. 1 is a side view typically showing an inspection apparatusaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a carrier plate according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3A shows plan and side views of an upper plate.

FIG. 3B shows plan and side views of a lower plate.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a body of the inspection apparatusaccording to the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing an inspecting operation by theinspection apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view typically showing an inspection system accordingto an embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

An inspection apparatus of a preferred embodiment according to theinvention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.The inspection apparatus is adapted to inspect whether or not there isdefective printing such as lack of a dot by directly fetching a paperpiece printed by a printer unit and imaging a test pattern printed onthe paper piece. The printer unit is adapted to form, for example, alabel of a paper piece on which a name or a blood group in a specificcolor is printed, the label being inserted into any of various kinds ofname plates for hospitalized patients in a hospital.

As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection apparatus 1 is used by beingconnected to a printer unit 11 having a paper discharge guide 130 thatfaces obliquely downward and is disposed at the outside of a paperdischarge hole 128. The inspection apparatus 1 receives a printed labelLB (a paper piece) discharged from the printer unit 11 and performsinspection of lack of a dot or a color by performing image recognitionof a printed result. The printer unit 11, which is a so-called rollpaper printer, performs printing on fed roll paper RP, cuts the printedpart (the label LB) and discharges it from the paper discharge hole 128.For this reason, the label LB to be supplied to the inspection apparatus1 from the printer unit 11 has a curling tendency in a rolling directionso that the inspection apparatus 1 performs desired inspection under acondition that the curling tendency is removed. Here, the printer unit11 is stored in a roughly rectangular solid shaped printer case 111 anda personal computer (a user input terminal (not shown)) for allowing auser to designate printing to the printer unit 11 is coupled to theprinter unit 11 via a USB cable.

Next, details of the inspection apparatus 1 are described below withreference to FIGS. 1 through 4. As shown in FIG. 1, the inspectionapparatus is composed of a carrier unit 21 for floating and carrying alabel LB supplied from the printer unit 11 in the apparatus, aninspection unit 22 for inspecting print information printed on the labelLB by imaging the print information, a pressure control unit 23 forsupplying compressed air to the carrier unit 21 and the inspection unit22, a controller (a control unit) 24 for controlling the carrier unit21, the inspection unit 22 and the pressure control unit 23, and a unitcase 25 that stores the above structural units 21, 22, 23 and 24.

A frame (not shown) for supporting the structural units 21, 22, 23 and24 is provided in the unit case 25. The unit case 25 is formed in aroughly rectangular solid shape and an introduction inlet 26 as areception slot for the label LB is formed at one side face of the unitcase 25 and the paper discharge guide 130 of the printer unit 11 isinserted into the insertion slot 26. An introduction outlet 27 fordischarging the label LB to the outside of the inspection apparatus 1 isformed on the other side face at the diagonal position with respect tothe insertion slot 26. A label reception box (not shown) is provided ona portion below the introduction outlet 27 so as to receive the label LBdischarged from the introduction outlet 27. Electric power is suppliedto the inspection apparatus 1 from a power adapter which is differentfrom that for the printer unit 11.

The carrier unit 21 is composed of a carrier plate 31 forming a carrierpath of the label LB in the inspection apparatus 1, a floating airsupply mechanism 32 built in the carrier plate 31, a top end detectionsensor 33 which is provided at a portion in the vicinity of theintroduction inlet 26 so as to face the carrier path from the upperside, and a pressing air blower mechanism 34 that blows out air to acarrying face 35 of the carrier plate 31.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the carrier plate 31 is made of metal such asstainless steel. The carrier plate 31 is extended from a portion facingthe introduction inlet 26 to a portion facing the introduction outlet 27obliquely downward at an angle of roughly 45 degrees. The upstream endof the carrier plate 31 is butted to the paper discharge guide 130 ofthe printer unit 11 input to the introduction inlet 26 so that the labelLB carried on the paper discharge guide 130 can be smoothly introducedto the carrier plate 31. A long through-hole 36 for allowing a carrierstopping plate 61 a to be projected or retracted (described later) isformed at a central portion in the width direction at the downstreamside of the carrier plate 31.

The carrier plate 31 is composed of an upper plate 31 a forming thecarrier path and a lower plate 31 b provided beneath the upper plate 31a. A plurality of blowout holes 41 for floating and carrying the labelLB disposed on the carrier path and a plurality of suction holes 42 forsuctioning the label LB disposed on the carrier path are formed on theupper plate 31 a. A floating air supply flow channel 43 for supplyingcompressed air to the plurality of blowout holes 41 and a suction flowchannel 44 communicating with the plurality of suction holes 42 areformed at a portion between the upper plate 31 a and the lower plate 31b.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A, the plurality of blowout holes 41 are formedon the upper plate 31 a so as to be distributed over the entire area ofthe upper plate 31 a in a matrix fashion. The plurality of suction holes42 are formed on the lower plate 31 a in a half area at the downstreamside of the upper plate 31 a so as to be arranged corresponding to theblowout holes 41 in a matrix fashion. Each of the blowout holes 41 ismade in a circular shape and they are directly formed on the upper plate31 a such that 3 pieces in the width direction of the upper plate 31 aand 8 pieces in the longitudinal direction thereof (the carryingdirection), i.e., total 24 blowout holes 41 are arranged. Each of theblowout holes 41 is formed on the upper plate 31 a so as to pass throughthe plate obliquely at an angle of roughly 45 degrees in the carryingdirection. Likewise, each of the suction holes 42 is made in a circularshape and they are formed such that 2 pieces in the width direction ofthe upper plate 31 a and 4 pieces in the longitudinal direction thereof,i.e., total 8 suction holes 42 are formed on the upper plate 31 a. Eachof the suction holes 42 is formed to pass through the upper plate 31 ato be perpendicular to the carrying direction. Note that, thepass-through angles, the shapes, the arrangements and the numbers ofblowout holes 41 and suction holes 42 can be varied for convenience. Forexample, it is possible that the blowout holes 41 (the suction holes 42)are formed on a plate to be in a different nozzle style independent fromthe upper plate 31 a and the plate is attached to the upper plate 31 a.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3B, an air supply groove 51 for forming thefloating air supply flow channel 43 between the lower plate 31 b and theupper plate 31 a is formed on a surface of the lower plate 31 b and anair suction groove 54 for forming the suction flow channel 44 betweenthe lower plate 31 b and the upper plate 31 a is also formed on thelower plate 31 b. The air supply groove 51 is composed of 3 longitudinalgrooves arranged in the width direction of the lower plate 31 b at equalintervals and a lateral groove communicating with the 3 longitudinalgrooves in the width direction at the upstream end side to be integrallyformed. In addition, an air supply communication hole 52 is provided ata central portion of the air supply groove 51 at the upstream side andthe floating air supply flow channel 43 connected to a plate compressedair flow channel 76 (described later) via an air supply joint 53.Likewise, the air suction groove 54 is composed of 2 longitudinalgrooves arranged in the width direction of the lower plate 31 b at equalintervals and a lateral groove communicating with the 2 longitudinalgrooves in the width direction at the downstream end to be integrallyformed. An air suction communication hole 55 is provided at a left sideof the air suction groove 54 in the carrying direction at the downstreamside (the right side in FIG. 3B) and the suction flow channel 44 isconnected to a plate suction flow channel 83 via an air suction joint56.

Namely, the floating air supply mechanism 32 is composed of theplurality of blowout holes 41 and the floating air supply flow channel43 communicating with the blowout holes 41. A vacuum suction mechanism63 (described later) of the inspection unit 22 is composed of theplurality of suction holes 42 and the suction flow channel 44communicating with the suction holes 42. Note that, the shapes and thearrangements of the air supply groove 51 forming the floating air supplyflow channel 43 and the air suction groove 54 forming the suction flowchannel 44 can be varied for convenience.

Here, floating and carrying of the label LB by blowing out compressedair (carrying air) is described below. When carrying air is blown outfrom the plurality of blowout holes 41 via the air supply communicationhole 52 and the floating air supply flow channel 43, the carrying air isobliquely applied to a bottom face (a rear face) of the label LB on thecarrying face 35. The obliquely applied carrying air flows so as to passthrough a gap (a blowout space) between the carrying face 35 and thelabel LB. As a result, the pressure in the blowout space is lowered.Consequently, an attractive force acts on the label LB so as to attractthe label LB to the carrying face 35. By balancing the attractive forcewith an upward force of the carrying air blown out from the plurality ofblowout holes 41, the label LB is carried under a condition that thelabel LB is floated at a constant positional level from the carryingface 35. A component referred to as a floating air blowing unit in theclaims exemplarily represents the pressure control unit 23 and thefloating air supply mechanism 32.

Next, the top end detection sensor 33 is an optical sensor such as anoptical fiber sensor and is provided at a portion in the vicinity of theintroduction inlet 26 under a condition that a detection end facesvertically downward. The top end detection sensor 33 detects a top endof a label LB introduced from the printer unit 11. Precisely, the topend detection sensor 33 detects a top end of roll paper RP when the topend that is output from the printer unit 11 while printing is carriedout on the roll paper RP, is moved from the paper discharge guide 130 tothe carrier plate 31. Therefore, when the label LB is short, the top ofthe label LB after cutting is detected. When the label LB is long, thetop of the label LB before cutting is detected. When the top of thelabel LB is detected by the top end detection sensor 33, a detectionsignal thereof is output to the controller 24. While the details will bedescribed later, the top end detection sensor 33 can also detect a rearend of the label LB.

The pressing air blower mechanism 34 is composed of an air blow nozzle37 for vertically downward blowing out compressed air supplied from thepressure control unit 23 and a nozzle support member (not shown) forsupporting the air blow nozzle 37 to the unit case 25. The air blownozzle 37 is formed to be in a cylindrical shape and is provided at aportion in the vicinity of the top end detection sensor 33 at thedownstream side such that a nozzle opening 38 faces vertically downward.The air blow nozzle 37 is controlled by the controller 24 such that whenthe top end detection sensor 33 detects the top end of the label LB, theair blow nozzle 37 blows out the compressed air supplied from thepressure control unit 23 so that the label LB having a curling tendencydischarged from the paper discharge hole 128 to a portion in thevicinity of the introduction inlet 26 is pressed to the carrying face35. As a result, the label LB having the curling tendency is laid alongthe carrying face 35 under a condition that the curling tendency isremoved.

Here, it is preferable that when the floating and carrying is started,blowing out of the air from the air blow nozzle 37 be slightly strongerthan blowing out of the carrying air. With the above configuration, thefloating and carrying can be started while the label LB maintains theattitude that it is pressed to the carrier plate 31 so as to be laiddown along the carrying face 35. While the label LB in the embodimenthas a curling tendency so as to form an upward convex, it can have acurling tendency so as to form a downward convex. In addition, the airblow nozzle 37 can be provided at a portion in the vicinity of the topend detection sensor 33 at the upstream side and the nozzle opening 38can be made so as to vertically face the carrying face 35. The number ofnozzle openings 38 and the shape of the nozzle openings 38 of the airblow nozzle 37 can be varied for convenience. For example, a pluralityof nozzle openings 38 can be arranged on the carrier plate 31 in thewidth direction thereof or a single slit-like nozzle opening 38 can beformed on the carrier plate 31.

Next, the inspection unit 22 is described below with reference to FIGS.1 through 4. The inspection unit 22 is composed of a carrier stoppingmechanism 61 for stopping the carrying of the label LB, a paper piecedetection sensor 62 for detecting presence or absence of the label LB ata stopping position of the label LB stopped by the carrier stoppingmechanism 61, the vacuum suction mechanism 63 built in the carrier plate31, an auxiliary pressing blow mechanism 64 for blowing out air towardthe label LB at the stopping position, and an image inspecting mechanism65 having 3 imaging cameras 68 facing the upper side of the label LB atthe stopping position.

The carrier stopping mechanism 61 is composed of the carrier stoppingplate 61 a for stopping the carrying by allowing the label LB floatedand carried on the carrier plate 31 to abut the carrier stopping plate61 a and an air cylinder 61 b that is coupled to the carrier stoppingplate 61 a so as to project or retract (lift or lower) it upper than orto a level of the carrying face 35. The carrier stopping plate 61 a is aplate like member facing in the width direction of the carrier plate 31.The carrier stopping plate 61 a is provided so as to be projected upperthan or retracted to the level of the carrying face 35 through the longthrough-hole 36 formed on the carrier plate 31 at the downstream side.The air cylinder 61 b is provided at the rear side of the carrier plate31 and the carrier stopping plate 61 a is coupled to a tip portion of apiston rod of the air cylinder 61 b. Namely, when the carrier stoppingplate 61 a is projected upper than the level of the carrying face 35 bydriving the air cylinder 61 b, the carrying of the label LB can beblocked (stopped). On the other hand, when the carrier stopping plate 61a is retracted to the level of the carrying face 35, the label LB can becarried to the introduction outlet 27.

The paper piece detection sensor 62 is an optical sensor such as anoptical fiber sensor similar to the top end detection sensor 33 and issupported by the unit case 25 under a condition that the detection endfaces vertically downward. The vacuum suction mechanism 63 is composedof the suction holes 42 and the suction flow channel 44, as describedabove.

When the paper piece detection sensor 62 detects the label LB of whichthe carrier is stopped by the carrier stopping mechanism 61, thepressure control unit 23 is valve-operated (details are described later)so that blowing out of the compressed air from the plurality of blowoutholes 41 is switched to vacuum suction of air via the suction holes 42.Herewith, each of the air suction communication hole 55 and the airsuction groove 54 becomes to have a negative pressure so that the labelLB is sucked and is fixed to the plurality of suction holes 42. Thus,the suction of the label LB preceding the inspection is performed.

The auxiliary pressing blow mechanism 64 is composed of an auxiliaryblow nozzle 66 for blowing out compressed air supplied from the pressurecontrol unit 23 vertically downward and an auxiliary nozzle supportmember (not shown) for supporting the auxiliary blow nozzle 66 to theunit case 25. The auxiliary blow nozzle 66 formed to have a cylindricalshape and is provided such that an auxiliary nozzle opening 67 facesvertically downward at a portion in the vicinity of the image inspectingmechanism 65 at the upstream side.

Meanwhile, in a case where the label LB has a strong curling tendency(for example, the label LB is short or thick), the suction force to thelabel LB at the stopping position is instantly dropped when the blowingout of the carrying air is switched to the vacuum suction. At that time,the label LB is floated by its curling so that the label LB is notpossibly sucked or fixed. In the above case, by blowing out auxiliarycompressed air to the label LB residing at the stopping position fromthe auxiliary blow nozzle 66, the label LB can be pressed to thestopping position. As a result, the label LB is not restored to itsoriginal curling shape so that the label LB can be surely sucked andfixed. Here, the auxiliary blow nozzle 66 can be provided at a portionin the vicinity of the image inspecting mechanism 65 at the downstreamside and the auxiliary nozzle opening 67 can be allowed to verticallyface the carrying face 35. In addition, the number of auxiliary nozzleopenings 67 and the shape of the auxiliary nozzle openings 67 can bevaried for convenience similar to the air blow nozzle 37.

The image inspecting mechanism 65 is composed of the 3 imaging cameras68 for imaging the surface of the label LB at the stopping position fromthe upper position, a camera support member (not shown) for supportingthe 3 imaging cameras 68 to the unit case 25 and an image processingsection (not shown) for performing image processing in accordance withimaged results of the imaging cameras 68. The image processing sectionis built in the controller 24. The 3 imaging cameras 68 are arranged inthe width direction of the carrier plate 31 so as to face the upper sideof the label LB that is sucked and fixed to the stopping position, sothat the imaging cameras 68 can image a printed result on the label LB.The imaging is performed in order to inspect whether or not a printingoperation is adequately performed by the printer unit 11. To bespecific, inks of colors R, G and B are ejected from a plurality ofnozzles provided on an ink jet head 124 of the printer unit 11 so that aplurality of lines of the respective colors are plotted on a surface ofthe roll paper RP, the number of lines being matched with the number ofnozzles, thereby forming a test pattern. The test pattern is imaged bythe imaging cameras 68 provided corresponding to the lines having therespective colors (image recognition). The image data obtained by theimaging is image-analyzed by an inspection computer so that theinspection computer inspects whether or not the test pattern has adefect such as lack of a dot. Here, in a case where a test pattern to beprinted on the label LB is changed, it is preferable that thearrangement of the 3 imaging cameras 68 can be changed so as tocorrespond to printed portions of the colors of the test pattern.Instead of printing the test pattern as the above embodiment, it ispossible to perform printing on a label LB (one's name and a blood typeare printed) to be actually inserted into a name plate, and to make theprinted result to be an inspection object. Note that, the number ofimaging cameras 68 and the kind of the imaging cameras 68 can be variedfor convenience.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pressure control unit 23 is composed of acompressed air flow channel system 71 communicating with each of themechanisms of the carrier unit 21 and the inspection unit 22, a vacuumsuction system 72 for generating a suction force on the carrying face35, a valve manifold 73 for coupling the compressed air flow channelsystem 71 to a compressed air piping AP of a medical piping facility ina hospital, a main compressed air flow channel 74 for coupling thecompressed air piping AP to the valve manifold 73, and an FR unit 75that is inserted into the main compressed air flow channel 74 and isconstituted of a filter and a regulator.

The compressed air flow channel system 71 is composed of a platecompressed air flow channel 76 coupled to the air supply joint 53 of thelower plate 31 b, an air blow flow channel 77 communicating with the airblow nozzle 37, a cylinder flow channel 78 communicating with the aircylinder 61 b, and an auxiliary blow flow channel 79 communicating withthe auxiliary blow nozzle 66. Each of upstream ends of the flow channels76, 77, 78 and 79 is connected to the valve manifold 73.

The vacuum suction system 72 is composed of an exhaust flow channel 81whose one end is coupled to one port of the valve manifold 73, anejector 82 inserted into the exhaust flow channel 81, a plate suctionflow channel 83 coupling the ejector 82 to the air suction joint 56 ofthe lower plate 31 b, and a suction sensor 84 that is inserted into theplate suction flow channel 83 at a portion in the vicinity of the lowerplate 31 b and is adapted to detect a vacuum suction pressure. Inaddition, the other end of the exhaust flow channel 81 is open to theoutside (atmospheric air) of the inspection apparatus 1 through aventilation louver 28 provided at the side face of the unit case 25 atthe lower side. While the plate suction flow channel 83 dedicated forsucking is provided in the above embodiment, it is possible to use theplate compressed air flow channel 76 as a common flow channel forcompressing and sucking. In the above case, the suction holes 42 or theair suction groove 54 is omitted, and the blowing out of compressed airand the vacuum suction of air are performed by using the blowout holes41. The plate compressed air flow channel 76 is branched into twochannels at an intermediate portion so that the blowing out ofcompressed air and the vacuum suction of air can be switched to eachother by a valve-operation. In addition, the vacuum suction system 72can be directly connected to the vacuum pipe of the medical pipingfacility without using the ejector 82.

The valve manifold 73 is provided with connection ports 85 5 connectionports are used in the embodiment) to which flow channels of thecompressed air flow channel system 71 and the exhaust flow channel 81are respectively connected. The connection ports 85 are respectivelyprovided with solenoid valves 86 so that opening and closing of each offlow channels can be respectively controlled.

Next, a series of inspection sequences by the inspection apparatus 1 ofthe embodiment is described below with reference to FIG. 5. The label LBhaving a test pattern printed thereon is introduced on the carrier plate31 through the introduction inlet 26 (the paper discharge hole 128) ofthe printer unit 11. When the top end detection sensor 33 detects thetop end of the label LB, the air blow flow channel 77 and the platecompressed air flow channel 76 are opened, thereby starting floating andcarrying of the label LB. While blowing out of air from the air blownozzle 37 is performed concurrently with blowing out of carrying air, atiming of blowing out of the carrying air can be slightly delayed.

When the floating and carrying is advanced and the top end detectionsensor 33 detects the rear end of the label LB, the air blow flowchannel 77 is closed. The label LB is floated and carried to thedownstream side of the carrier plate 31 and the carrier is blocked bythe carrier stopping plate 61 a that is projected beforehand. In thisinstance, when the label LB is detected by the paper piece detectionsensor 62, the plate compressed air flow channel 76 is closed and theexhaust flow channel 81 is opened, and thereby the label LB is suckedand fixed to the stopping position (stoppage of carrying). At that time,when the label has a strong curling tendency, the auxiliary blow flowchannel 79 is opened concurrently with (or slightly before) closing ofthe plate compressed air flow channel 76, thereby blowing out thecompressed air from the auxiliary blow nozzle 66. After that, when thesuction sensor 84 detects a negative pressure enabling suction andfixing, the auxiliary blow flow channel 79 is closed.

Next, the label LB sucked and fixed to the stopping position issubjected to the image recognition by using the 3 imaging cameras 68 soas to inspect a printed condition of the surface of the label LB. Afterthat, the exhaust flow channel 81 is closed again and the platecompressed air flow channel 76 is opened so as to restart blowing out ofthe compressed air. Concurrently with the above process, the aircylinder 61 b is inwardly moved so as to retract the carrier stoppingplate 61 a to the level of the carrying face 35, and the floating andcarrying of the label LB is restarted. Then, the label LB is dischargedfrom the introduction outlet 27 to the outside of the unit case 25.After the discharging, the air cylinder 61 b is outwardly moved so as toproject the carrier stopping plate 61 a again. Here, when the floatingand carrying is performed again, the compressed air can be blown outfrom the auxiliary blow nozzle 66.

With the above configuration, the label LB having a curling tendencythat is discharged on the carrier plate 31 can be stably floated andcarried in a non-contact manner under the condition that the label LB islaid along the carrying face 35. As a result, the label can be carriedwhile preventing damage to its printed face. In addition, since it ispossible to maintain the label LB to be laid along the carrying face 35at the stopping position, it is possible to inspect the label LB byimage recognition without considering influence caused by a distortiondue to the curling tendency.

Next, the inspection system 90 is described with reference to FIG. 6.The inspection system 90 is so constituted that the printer unit 11 andthe inspection apparatus 1 are stored in an identical housing 91 and theprinter unit 11 and the inspection apparatus 1 are linked with eachother. The downstream end of the carrier plate 31 is coupled to theinside of the housing 91 and the introduction outlet 27 is formed at thecoupling portion. The printer unit 11 and the inspection apparatus 1 areelectrically connected to each other. By turning on a power source ofthe printer unit 11, the inspection apparatus 1 is set to a carryingstart standby state.

The printer unit 11 is composed of a paper supply section 112 forfeeding roll paper RP transversely stored therein in the widthdirection, a printing section 113 for performing printing on the rollpaper RP fed from the paper supply section 112 by using the ink jet head124, a paper discharge section 114 for discharging the printed rollpaper RP by cutting it, and a printer frame 115 that supports the abovesections 112, 113 and 114.

The paper supply section 112 is composed of a storage section 121 forstoring the roll paper RP, a carrier guide 122 forming a carrier pathfor the fed roll paper RP and two paper feeding rollers 123 (a platenand a grip roller) respectively provided at an upstream side and adownstream side of the carrier guide 122. The ink jet head 124 mountedon a carriage 125 (described later) is disposed just above the carrierguide 122 such that a nozzle face of the ink jet head 124 faces thecarrier guide 122 with a predetermined paper gap therebetween.

The printing section 113 is provided at the upper side of the papersupply section 112 and is composed of the ink jet head 124, the carriage125 having the ink jet head 124 and an ink cartridge 126 of 3 colors R,G and B mounted thereon, and a carriage moving mechanism that moves thecarriage 125 in the width direction of the roll paper RP (in a mainscanning direction).

The paper discharge hole 128 having a width corresponding to the widthof the roll paper RP is formed on the paper discharge section 114 and ascissors-type cutter unit 129 is provided at a portion in the vicinityof the paper discharge hole 128. In addition, a paper discharge guide130 for guiding the cut roll paper RP (the label LB) obliquely downwardis provided at the outside of the paper discharge hole 128.

In the printer unit 11, while moving (reciprocating) the ink jet head124 in the width direction of the roll paper RP, printing is performedby driving the ink jet head 124 and the roll paper RP is intermittentlycarried such that the two paper feeding rollers 123 are driven insynchronism with the reciprocating movement of the ink jet head 124.After the printing is completed, the cutter unit 129 operates so as tocut out a printed part of the roll paper RP, and then the label having apredetermined length is discharged.

In the inspection system 90, the inspection apparatus 1 can be utilizedas it is. However, the inspection system 90 can be constituted such thatthe number of rotations of the paper feed roller 123 is monitored andcontrolled by the controller 24 so as to compute a discharge timing ofthe label LB from the paper discharge hole 128 and to start the blowingout of compressed air from the air blow nozzle 37. With thisconfiguration, it is possible to omit the top end detection sensor 33.The printer unit 11 and the inspection apparatus 1 can be stored in thehousing 91 of the inspection system 90 under a condition that theprinter unit 11 and the inspection apparatus 1 are respectively storedin the cases 25 and 111. However, the printer unit 11 and the inspectionapparatus 1 can be stored in the housing 91 without using the cases 25and 111 in the embodiment. In the above case, the printer unit 11 isbuilt in the housing 91 under a condition that it is mounted on theprinter frame 115 and also the structural units 21, 22, 23 and 24 of theinspection apparatus 1 are built in the housing 91 under a conditionthat they are mounted on the frame. Note that, the other structures andthe carrier control sequences of the label LB are similar to those ofthe inspection apparatus 1 so that descriptions are omitted.

In accordance with the above inspection system 90, the printer unit 11and the inspection apparatus 1 are stored in the single housing 91 sothat a degree of freedom for an installation place or movement of theinspection system 90 can be increased and an effect similar to theinspection apparatus 1 can be achieved.

1. A carrier device that performs floating and carrying of a sheet-likemember having a curling tendency along a carrier path, the carrierdevice comprising: a floating air blowing unit that floats and carriesthe sheet-like member by blowing out air to the sheet-like member on thecarrier path via a plurality of blowout holes; a carrier plate thatconstitutes the carrier path and has the plurality of blowout holesformed therein; and a pressing air blowing unit that faces a carryingstart position of the sheet-like member in the carrier plate and blowsout air to the sheet-like member so as to lay the sheet-like memberalong the carrier plate.
 2. The carrier device according to claim 1,wherein the plurality of blowout holes are formed such that the blowoutholes are obliquely drilled through the carrier plate.
 3. The carrierdevice according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of blowout holes areprovided in the carrier plate at an angle of about 45 degrees withrespect to the carrying direction.
 4. The carrier device according toclaim 1, wherein the plurality of blowout holes are distributed over anentire area of the carrier plate in a matrix fashion.
 5. The carrierdevice according to claim 1, further comprising: a top end detectionunit that detects a top end of the sheet-like member at the carryingstart position; and a control unit that controls the floating airblowing unit and the pressing air blowing unit, wherein the control unitrespectively starts driving of the floating air blowing unit and drivingof the pressing air blowing unit in accordance with detection of the topend of the sheet-like member by the top end detection unit.
 6. Aninspection apparatus, comprising: a sheet processing device; the carrierdevice according to claim 1 that performs floating and carrying of thesheet-like member that has the curling tendency and is fed from thesheet processing device; a stopping unit that faces the carrier path soas to be projected from or retracted to the carrier path and forciblystops the sheet-like member in being carried; a member detection unitthat detects presence or absence of the sheet-like member in a stoppingstate; an inspection unit that image-recognizes the sheet-like memberand inspects a result processed by the sheet processing device inaccordance with the recognition result; and a control unit that controlsthe stopping unit and the inspection unit, wherein, the control unitallows the inspection unit to perform the inspection in accordance withdetection of the presence of the sheet-like member after stopping thecarrying of the sheet-like member.
 7. The inspection apparatus accordingto claim 6, further comprising: a vacuum suction unit that is built inthe carrier plate and sucks the sheet-like member in the stopping stateon the carrier plate, wherein the control unit further controls thevacuum suction unit so as to stop the floating air blowing unit and todrive the vacuum suction unit during a time period from the stopping ofthe carrying till the inspection.
 8. The inspection apparatus accordingto claim 7, further comprising: an auxiliary pressing air blowing unitthat blows out air to the sheet-like member in the stopping state,wherein the control unit further controls the auxiliary pressing airblowing unit so as to drive the auxiliary pressing air blowing unit justafter stopping the floating air blowing unit.
 9. The inspectionapparatus according to claim 6, wherein the sheet-like member is formedof roll paper, and the sheet processing device is constituted of aprinter that includes a paper supply section that feeds the roll paper,a printing section that performs printing on the roll paper fed from thepaper supply section by using an ink jet head, and a paper dischargesection that cuts a part of the roll paper printed by the printingsection and discharges the printed part.
 10. An inspection system,comprising: the inspection apparatus according to claim 6; the sheetprocessing device according to claim 6, and a common housing that storesthe inspection apparatus and the sheet processing device.